Omega (Day 19)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” ~ Revelation 1:8
Come closer! Draw near to me…” Can you hear this call from the manger to your heart? Since the fall of Adam, sin had damaged us, broken us and separated us from His Holy Presence. God gave Israel the law and commandments, but they continually felt short of his standard. The Lord sent prophets to call his people back to Him time and again. They would repent for a season, but then turn back to their sin and idolatry. God ultimately had a plan however to end our isolation and separation from Him.
Stuck in the snare of our sin, we have pushed God from the center of our lives to the periphery if we give him any space at all. The separation of our sin has created a case where God is not with us, and He cannot be fully for us. Our pride and sin puts us at opposition with the Creator and in danger of His judgment. Sin destroys that which God loves and always separates us from the Father. God gave us warning after warning regarding the consequences of turning our backs upon Him. He has every right to judge us, exile us, and “cancel us” for all of eternity.
And yet for some reason God decided to give us the gift of Christmas. Amidst all of God’s warnings regarding judgment for sin and rebellion, the Lord inserted many promises of One would come to rescue and deliver God’s people. Some scholars cite more than 300 Old Testament prophecies that point to the Messiah God promised to send. Yes, there are many warnings from God regarding backsliding and turning away from Him, but 300+ direct promises regarding God’s strong and powerful servant who would come to set His people free. And there are many more allusions in the OT that show God’s heart pursuing a prodigal people, seeking to prevail over the wicked ways.
The Promise of Christmas is found in this Messiah King who would come; He would be a Savior to rescue us, save us, forgive us and change our hearts. The plot line of the OT keeps pointing to a future hope but then ends with a bit of whimper. The Promises are still “out there” somewhere, but Israel seems stuck, and the Redemption story is left unfinished. Our story remains incomplete as the OT wraps up. Jesus declared that He was the “Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End” (Revelation 1). As we come to the end of the OT, we need an OMEGA. We look for a proper end to finish what was begun, and yet remains unfulfilled We need Heaven to reveal the end of the story of God’s Master Plan of Deliverance and Restoration. If only there was another chapter, or another book that finishes the story and brings together all these promises…
There is! Let’s sit here for the moment in this tension of the unresolved and seek to sense some of the longing that we all feel for resolution in our lives. We often live in a world filled with our tensions needing to trust that God is not finished with the story yet. We will forever have the promises of God to bring hope, but they are not always quickly microwaved in plastic pouches. Rather, they can sometimes be coming to a slow simmer on the back burner. Are you always seeking the microwaved version of God’s promises? Or are you willing to wait for the Gourmet “heavenly” cooked meal that God is preparing, ensuring all the needed ingredients are there in the right order, and the right amounts. Waiting is often “believing and trusting” – knowing His hands are fully engaged in bringing to pass all his promises. My faith reminds me the story is not over, God is present, and He still has some work quietly simmering on the back burner. He may not be in a hurry like I can seem to be, but I know He is always on time.
Question:
·Are there any areas of life or promises of God that you feel are on the back burner right now? Do you think God has forgotten them, or can your walk in a sense of trust in His timing?
·When you think of God offering 300+ promises in the OT regarding Jesus that would unfold over a period of 1000+ years, what does this do for your perspective? Is this encouraging, discouraging, or what?
ACTIVATE YOUR FAITH
·Find some of the promises of scripture that relate to some of your unfilled hopes that you are waiting upon. Bring those promises in prayer to God, asking Him to bring these promises forth and declaring trust that you know He is still at work.
·Acknowledge your personal story and any chapters that seem to feel incomplete and unfinished.
Invite God continually into these unresolved plots of your life, continually seeking Him to be the One who writes the rest of the story. Affirm your trust to HIM that you know He is a God that does not do anything halfway, or leave the things he is doing unfinished.
·He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it… ~ Philippians 1:6